Dizziness

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Diagnostic tests that may need to be performed include:

  • Blood pressure measurements and tests
  • ECG
  • Hearing tests
  • Neurological tests
  • Balance testing such as ENG/ECOG/ABR
  • MRI Brain

Dizziness & Ménière’s Disease

Symptoms may consist of a sensation of light-headedness, spinning (vertigo), or feeling unsteady and losing your balance.

There are many causes for dizziness and inner ear pathology is just one of them. A thorough history, physical exam, and tests are required to determine the correct etiology.

Benign positional vertigo is a spinning sensation that occurs with changes in head position such as tilting your head back or turning over in bed. It is related to loose “calcium crystals” within the inner ear that can be repositioned with a simple non painful procedure in the office.

Serous labyrinthitis or Vestibular neuronitis usually follows a viral infection of the inner ear. It can cause severe spinning, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms can last several days with gradual improvement over weeks. Specific medications and in-office treatments can help improve patient’s symptoms and get them back to a normal life

Sudden hearing loss can be also be associated with severe dizziness. This is a medical emergency and patients need to be started on treatment as soon as possible to help prevent permanent hearing loss. Sometimes it may be an indication of a serious condition such as a Brain Tumor or Acoustic Neuroma.

Ménière’s Disease is another common inner ear problem. It causes repeated bouts of vertigo, loss of balance, roaring/ringing in the ears, and sometimes progressive hearing loss. Simple and effective treatments in the office are now available to reduce the intensity and frequency of this chronic debilitating disease.

Note: Vertigo and dizziness may be a sign of stroke, multiple sclerosis, seizures, a brain tumor, or an intracranial bleed. In these conditions, there will often be other symptoms that will accompany the vertigo or imbalance.